A Reassuring Hand

Statistics show that over 8.5 percent of students in high school are gay. This number may not seem large, but when someone is struggling because their sexual orientation is “out of the norm,” this seems like the biggest issue in the world. Camas High School is not known to be a school that discriminates against its students and staff, but it is still a scary thing to come out to your classmates and friends. I sat down with a Camas High School Student about their experience with coming out and the repercussions of this. Hopefully, more students can feel at ease about their sexuality and better understand how to deal with it.

The student requested their identity be anonymous.

What grade are you in?

I’m a senior, I’ve been going to Camas for all four years of high school.

What is your sexual orientation?

I’m Bisexual.

When and why did you come out?

I came out when I was at Cruise the Gut with my mom. She saw a lesbian couple and was talking about how that’s “ungodly.” I just straight up told her I was bisexual. That was the only bad experience that I’ve had. The rest, like friends and other family members, have been super supportive and honestly they don’t care either way as long as I stay in my lane.

What struggles have you had with your sexuality being different than most in high school?

Honestly, things are so different now, like, no one actually cares. I haven’t struggled with anything really and no one has ever bullied me about it. The hardest part about coming out is coming out to your family. The people here haven’t treated me differently because of my sexuality being “different.” But honestly, because of the amount of people who are bisexual, gay, lesbian, transexual, and everything else, its pretty acceptable up here.

What was the best part of coming out for you?

It is actually so freaking relieving. It’s just like there’s this huge weight lifted off of your shoulders. It was so nice, and because people didn’t care or bully me about it, it wasn’t negative at all.

Although coming out is a terrifying experience, if you go to Camas, it is not as bad as people may think. There are no promises that your experience will be as smooth as others, but the people at Camas High School are very accepting. There are many helpful options for people who are scared to come out: support groups in the area, and even the Gay-Straight Alliance Club here at Camas High School who meets Tuesdays after school in Mr. Morgan’s room 706.

After being at Camas for two and a half years, Mackenzie Wingate has been a part of most things: basketball, theater, ceramics and more. She enjoys writing and photography, so with a free period, she took on journalism. Mackenzie hopes to change the perspective and help share knowledge of what is happening with students and teachers and parents alike in the Camas School District. She looks forward to the wonderful year to come.